Humbly Take Correction & Pray for Them

 “Let the righteous smite me; It shall be a kindness: And let him reprove me; It shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: For yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. When their judges are overthrown in stony places, They shall hear my words; for they are sweet.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭141‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

David wrote this poetic psalm, “When one of your godly ones corrects me or one of your faithful ones rebukes me, I will accept it like an honor I cannot refuse. It will be as healing medicine that I swallow without an offended heart. Even if they are mistaken, I will continue to pray. When the leaders and judges are condemned, falling upon the rocks of justice, then they’ll know my words to them were true!”  This was David, the king of Israel, willing to take correction without taking offence.  But the King of kings, our Lord Jesus Christ, took our punishment on the Cross so that by faith we would be set free.  He did this with joy in His heart, knowing that His creation - all of mankind - would be liberated.  After His resurrection, He sent His Holy Spirit, to convict us and make us more like our Lord Jesus.  The Holy Spirit, through the five-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, equips all believers for works of service, to build the Body of Christ, the Church.  Together, these ministries help in growth and maturity so that every member of the Body of Christ discovers and operates in their own God-given gifts by working in harmony and unity to help the Church fulfil its mission and become more like Christ.  Let’s be humble to take correction and pray for others even when they’re wrong or unkind, just as David did.  Amen!

God the Saviour Bled to Death for You

 “and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Matthew wrote the Gospel in Hebrew but Hebrew ceased to be the spoken language of the Jews on their return from exile in Babylon around 450 BC. “Above His head they placed a sign that read, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of Israel.” Two criminals were also crucified with Jesus, one on each side of Him.”  This sign was written in Aramaic (the language of the common people), Latin (the official language of the Roman Empire), and in Greek (the language of the visiting Alexandrian Jews).  The first letter of each of the four words written were Y-H-W-H (Y’shua Hanozri Wumelech a Yehudim).  To write these letters YHWH (also known as the Tetragrammaton), was the Hebrew form of writing the sacred Name “Yahweh”.  No wonder the chief priests were so offended by this sign and insisted that Pilate change it.  This was a sign given to Israel, for over Jesus’s head on the Cross was written “Y-H-W-H!  God the Saviour bled to death for you.”  The prophet had said, “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”  That’s our God Who bled to death for us who were transgressors and set us free, dead to sin and alive to righteousness.  Amen!

Relationships are Important to God

 “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: The upright shall dwell in thy presence.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭140‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

David wrote this psalm when he was hiding from king Saul.  “For I know, Lord, that You will be the hero of all those they persecute, and You will secure justice for the poor. Your godly ones will thank You no matter what happens. For they choose and cherish Your  Presence above everything else!”  We learn from David how to cope with jealousy, which is to turn to God and trust Him through the tough times, without the ill-will that results from it.  Our Lord had to face this too from the religious establishment.  Even Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.  Instead of allowing the negativity of being jealous, we can of our own free will turn it to being jealous for the Lord’s Presence.  That’s the godly jealousy that Paul talked about when he said “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”  Instead of gossiping, denigrating, creating an ill-will scenario, or even being self-righteous, self-centred, proud, and inflating the ego, let’s change the negativity to building up people so that they too can enjoy God’s Presence like we do.  Relationships are important to God and we co-labour with Him to build people up to have a relationship with Him.  Amen!

Union & Communion

 “for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As Matthew recorded, “For this is the blood that seals the new covenant. It will be poured out for many for the complete forgiveness of sins. The next time we drink this, I will be with you and we will drink it together with a new understanding in the Kingdom realm of My Father.”  This was the renewed covenant which had been earlier prophesied.  After each disciple took the cup and drank from it, they passed it to the next one.  This was a love covenant between Jesus and each of His disciples, and it sealed the affection they had for one another.  We are now in the realm of the Kingdom of God.  The Holy Spirit brings us into the Body of Christ and into the reality of the Kingdom of God.  It is growing and increasing in scope, and every time believers drink of the cup of communion, Jesus is present with us.  It is the Lord’s table, not ours.  This was a prophecy of what would happen in just a matter of days from then, as believers would break bread together in remembrance of what Jesus did for them.  Jesus now drinks with us in a new way, and not just once a year at Passover, but every time we worship Him by taking communion.  Amen!

The Wonderful Knowledge of God’s Power

 “Thou hast beset me behind and before, And laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

David wrote this psalm, “You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way, and in kindness You follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. You have laid Your hand on me! This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength.”  David calls the Yahweh as all-knowing and omniscient, Who besieged him before and behind.  David knew the experience of God protecting him from what may come in the future and what has happened in the past.  Our God is powerful and it was His power that raised Jesus from the dead and has given us this same resurrection power for eternity.  Jesus says: "My grace is all you need, for My power is greatest when you are weak." In order to feel the protection of Christ's power which is in His shed Blood, let’s depend on His grace.  In all our weakness it is the leading of the Holy Spirit that reveals Christ’s power in our weakness.  The knowledge of God is too wonderful but it is through Christ’s grace and Holy Spirit leading that we can lead victorious life in spite of our weakness.  Amen!

Our Highest Place is at Christ’s Feet

 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As Matthew recorded when Jesus gave this parable on the judgment of the multitudes, “When the Son of Man appears in His majestic glory, with all His angels by His side, He will take His seat on His throne of splendor, and all the nations will be gathered together before Him. And like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats, He will separate all the people.”  Jesus gave the fulfilment of the prophet Daniel’s vision which will happen at the second coming of Jesus.  ““I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His Kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”  This is the reality that every individual human being from the first to the last, from kings to servants, from the most to the least, will come before Him in the final judgment.  Those who believed in Him and His work on the Cross, who followed Him, will become part of His Kingdom.  Those who did not, will be turned away into eternal torment.  We rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  Hallelujah!

All Will Rise Before the Lamb of God to Praise Him

 “All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, When they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: For great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: But the proud he knoweth afar off.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭138‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

A psalm attributed to David, “One day all the kings of the earth will rise to give You thanks when they hear the living words that I have heard You speak. They too will sing of Your  wonderful ways, for Your ineffable glory is great! For though You are lofty and exalted, You stoop to embrace the lowly. Yet You keep Your distance from those filled with pride.”  That day is coming soon, as David said, when all kings and leaders of the earth will rise to give God thanks in the midst of His glorious Presence.  Scripture tells us that the enemies of God shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.  He is all powerful and all shall rise in His Presence and give glory to Him.  But those who are proud and who scorn the Word of God, treating it as a myth or fairy tale, will spend eternity in torment, sadly.  But David experienced the Living Word of God in his relationship with Him, so he could prophesy.  We, who have the Living Word in us and have a confident relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, overcome and proclaim the victory we have in Christ.  Amen!

Enduring to the End

 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As Matthew recorded, “There will be such an increase of the sin of lawlessness that those whose hearts once burned with passion for God and others will grow cold. But hold your hope firmly to the end and you will experience life and deliverance. “Yet through it all, the good news of heaven’s kingdom will be proclaimed all over the world, providing every nation with a demonstration of the reality of God. And after that the end of this age will arrive.”  The disciples asked Jesus when the end of the age will come and He gave them many signs.  He told of the lawlessness when people do what is right in their own eyes, disregarding rules, values, principles and the laws to govern peacefully.  This is beginning to happen even now and the life of compromise is being followed even in many churches.  For those of us who believe, we are to have an intimate relationship with our God Who forgave our sin to have a relationship with Him; also to dwell and abide in the Word of God, meditating on it day and night and obeying it; and being taught, guided, led by the mighty Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  This will protect us from the deception that is coming into the world in a greater measure now than ever before.  The other important point that Jesus made was to preach and witness to all even to the ends of the earth the glorious Gospel of the Kingdom and eagerly await for the coming of our King of kings - our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen!

Zion - Where God Dwells with Us

 “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, When we remembered Zion.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭137‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV

This psalm was written by an unknown after Jerusalem was destroyed during the Babylonian captivity or it may be attributed to Jeremiah.  “Along the banks of Babylon’s rivers we sat as exiles, mourning our captivity, and wept with great love for Zion.”  The Jews in captivity yearned for the majestic temple that Solomon built where the Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy of Holies signifying the Presence of God.  Inspite of that, the Jews turned to false gods and even turned the temple a place of worship to idols and the Presence of God left the temple.  That is why God used Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to destroy the temple and the Jews taken into captivity.  Later, it was rebuilt and when Jesus came in the flesh, He was presented at the temple and later referred to it as His Father’s house.  During one Passover, Jesus cleansed the temple of money-changers and merchants selling sacrificial animals.  He used it as a place of teaching and once while talking to Pharisees and scribes, Jesus prophesied that the physical temple would be destroyed and that His body would be destroyed to make a new temple in three days, which will be the Presence of God.  That was fulfilled at the death and resurrection of Jesus.  When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and disciples were filled, God’s Presence filled their bodies.  Today, all disciples who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and invite the Holy Spirit in them, carry the Presence of God.  Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”  Amen!

A Relationship with Christ Without Pretensions

 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As Matthew recorded, ““Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and pretenders! For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like insisting on paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters are fine, yet you ignore the most important duties of all: to walk in the love of God, to display mercy to others, and to live with integrity. Readjust your values and place first things first. What blind guides! Nitpickers! You will spoon out a gnat from your drink, yet at the same time you’ve gulped down a camel without realizing it!”  The law of Moses only obligated tithing on grain, wine and oil.  The religious scholars added to the law their interpretation, which added vegetables and herbs to their list of what should be tithed.  Justice, grace which is loving kindnesses and faith and truth is what Jesus talked about.  The Aramaic for gnat and camel is similar and gnat becomes a metaphor for what is least and insignificant - swallowing a gnat will not hurt you.  But the camel becomes a picture of self-righteousness. To swallow a camel would indeed kill you.  Let’s not focus on insignificant things in our relationship with Christ but remove the huge block of those hindrances that stop us from being effective and fruitful.  Amen!